Privacy Rights

Contributed by AjunthaThinakaran and current to 27 July 2018

Amendments made by the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012 (Cth) to the Federal Privacy Act 1988 have significantly impacted on the law concerning privacy rights in Australia. This chapter focuses on those amendments, including the replacement of the National Privacy Principles by the current Australian Privacy Principles (APP). The APPs serve to emphasise that ‘personal information’ as provided by the Act should be safeguarded and are enforced through complaints made to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

This chapter also discusses the 2018 amendments to the Federal Privacy Act 1988 which introduces a mandatory notification procedure in relation to data breaches affecting individuals.

• The right to privacy
• Reforms 2017 and 2014
• The Privacy Act
• Australian Privacy Principles (APP)
• Other legislation
• Complaints to the Commissioner
• State privacy legislation
• Contact points and useful resources